The US Department of Agriculture’s October 9 Crop Production report projected 2026 soybean output at 4.56 billion bushels. That is 1% above the previous forecast and 7% above 2025; the expected yield of 53.1 bushels per acre is also a record. The report put corn production at 16.0 billion bushels, 1% above the prior estimate but 5% below last year. If realized, that would be the nation’s second-largest corn crop on record.

The estimates use harvested-area and yield assessments as of October 1; they are forecasts rather than final harvest totals. In the same report, cotton production was projected at 13.4 million 480-pound bales, 2% above the previous forecast and 3% below 2025. The outlook therefore points in different directions for corn, soybeans and cotton.